<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>popsicles by seasunwrites</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25981642">popsicles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasunwrites/pseuds/seasunwrites'>seasunwrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>those cruel summers [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Demigods being friends and stuff, Gen, Post-The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson), The last ship tags are there if you squint lol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:29:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25981642</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasunwrites/pseuds/seasunwrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Percy, were you born in a hospital?” she finally asked. </p><p>He looked down at the water. For the first time, he realized Sally hadn’t even mentioned where he was born.</p><p>“Uh...I—I don’t know?”</p><p>“You don’t know?” </p><p>//</p><p>AU were everything’s the same except Percy was never born out of Sally Jackson’s womb. And now the camp never lets him forget it. Where do babies come from, anyway?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase &amp; Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Charles Beckendorf &amp; Percy Jackson, Katie Gardner/Travis Stoll, Michael Yew/Other(s), Percy Jackson &amp; Sally Jackson, Silena Beauregard &amp; Annabeth Chase &amp; Clarisse La Rue, Silena Beauregard/Clarisse La Rue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>those cruel summers [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131656</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Camp Counselor Stories</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Part I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was for the camp counselor collection, which I actually kind of did, just differently (yay) and also for Percy’s bday :))) </p><p>Anyway, I’ve had this in mind for some time and thought: hey, why not? This turned out more chaotic than I'd anticipated, and I split it into two bc I'm not done w it, pero but I just wanted to post it on Agust 18 oops. So here ya go fam</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Percy’s life was a lie. That’s the conclusion he got from his very strange day. Sure, he knew all about strange. He ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a daily basis because of his parentage. But this had just crossed a line. Nothing—and he swore nothing—could top what he had discovered.</p><p>It all started with the July sun beating down his back at the canoe lake pier, the wood digging into his shorts. A blue popsicle was in one hand while the other held a piece of glowing coral that his mom had given him. Next to him sat Annabeth, who peered over Percy’s shoulder at the piece of coral. She was enjoying a popsicle too, the sounds of sucking and crunching on ice a bit too distracting for Percy, but otherwise he was too focused on what was before him.</p><p>He also wasn’t going to complain about the sound when they were finally on talking terms after their last argument. It was something that they did nowadays: fight. Usually over stupid things, but the ones that hit worse were of Luke and the war and—</p><p>“So where’d your mom get it?” Annabeth said. Her voice was garbled slightly from the already melting popsicle in her mouth.</p><p>Percy shrugged, his thoughts immediately interrupted. “She just said it was with me when I was born and she found it recently, whatever that meant. Last time I remember, mom said that dad left her before I was born. Must’ve gotten the coral through magic or something.”</p><p>“So...your mom got a gift from Poseidon when you were born?” </p><p>He turned to her. Annabeth’s eyebrows were furrowed together as if she were trying to solve a puzzle and was finally understanding the pieces. Percy was just confused as to why she was making such a big deal out of it. To him, it was just a glowy thing that his dad had gifted to his mom for brownie points, probably.</p><p>And also there was the thing with Annabeth being...Annabeth. </p><p>Which was distracting. </p><p>Especially now with her curls pulled into a messy bun from the summer heat, blonde locks sticking to her neck as the sun made her skin glow. Call him strange or weird, but Percy thought that even as a sweaty mess, Annabeth was stunning.</p><p>Okay, maybe not stunning because she was his <em> friend, </em>but still, she looked good. Pretty. Cute.</p><p>He realized too late that Annabeth was saying something when she blinked at him owlishly as she waited for his answer. </p><p>“Oh. Um, what?”</p><p>She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Seaweed Brain. Sometimes I forget how ADHD you are.”</p><p>
  <em> Right. </em>
</p><p>“Anyway,” she continued, “I was <em> asking </em>if Poseidon gave her something else, or why he’d give her a piece of coral. When did it appear, anyway?”</p><p>Percy sucked on his popsicle again, relishing the sweet cool taste. “Hmm. I think she said it used to be a cradle with more of the coral things. I mean—as I said, I dunno. She just sent me a letter yesterday with this thing in it. She seemed to have been excited she found it. Apparently, it was something important about my birth, so she wanted me to have it.”</p><p>“Did she explain more?”</p><p>“Seriously, why are you so interested in this?” His tone came out snappier than he’d intended, and he had the urge to cringe or recoil. He did <em> not </em>want to start another fight.</p><p>Luckily, Annabeth didn’t read much into Percy’s comment. “It’s your birth. If it’s important to her, then it should be to you, too. And I’m your friend. I...I told you how <em> I </em> was born, so why not look more into what happened when <em> you </em>were actually conceived in a natural way? And I have this weird feeling about the coral, anyway.”</p><p>“Well…” he scratched the back of his neck, feeling the damp skin under his hair. “Mom hasn’t actually talked much about her pregnancy. Sometimes it feels like she doesn’t remember any of it or like it never happened.”</p><p>Shouting could be heard from across the lake as Annabeth sat for a moment in silence, taking the information in. She munched on the strawberry ice and nodded along to something in her head. He had learned to not question her methods of thinking, so Percy let her be.</p><p>But he grew impatient, as always. </p><p>“Well, obviously she was pregnant with me. It’s not like—I mean, why wouldn’t she be? That’s...that’s kinda crazy, right?” he laughed nervously. Annabeth didn’t respond. Percy could practically see the gears turning in her head. </p><p>“Percy, were you born in a hospital?” she finally asked. </p><p>He looked down at the water. For the first time, he realized Sally hadn’t even <em> mentioned </em>where he was born.</p><p>“Uh...I—I don’t know?”</p><p>“You don’t know?” </p><p>Percy raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s not like we talk much about my birth. As if I were Jesus or something.” That made her snort. “I mean…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I probably was. Born in a hospital, I mean. If I wasn’t, wouldn’t mom have said something like: ‘it was really hard because I didn’t have medical attention,’ or something like that?”</p><p>She eyed him skeptically. “Aren’t there records of this sort of thing? Don’t you <em> know </em>where you were born?”</p><p>Percy opened his mouth, but Annabeth beat him to it. </p><p>“Were you even born in New York?”</p><p>Now he was seriously doubting his whole existence because here’s the thing: he <em> didn’t know </em>. Why was this coral so important? Why hadn’t his mom ever mentioned much about her pregnancy? In fact—now that he thought about it, Sally Jackson had never said anything about it. </p><p>Nothing. </p><p>“What are you trying to figure out?” He inquired.</p><p>“This is just a theory.” Annabeth sounded self-conscious, but at the same time Percy knew she was certain about what she was going to declare, and he had a bad feeling about it. “And obviously I could be wrong and am reading too much into this. But what if your mom...was never pregnant with you?”</p><p>His eyes widened. “What are you—”</p><p>“I’m not saying you aren’t Sally’s son or that your dad isn’t Poseidon,” she quickly added. “Just that, maybe your mom wasn’t pregnant with you because something similar happened to what my dad went through. What if you were just created by Poseidon?”</p><p>Percy was speechless. “I…” </p><p>“Come on, think about it. Your mom told you that she met your dad in Montauk over the summer, right?”</p><p>He nodded.</p><p>“And she said that he left at the end of it and that when you were born, this piece of coral was with you, right?”</p><p>He nodded.</p><p>“Did she ever mention to you that Poseidon left because she was pregnant? Or something else? Why’d he leave?”</p><p>Percy swallowed thickly. His popsicle didn’t taste so sweet anymore. Annabeth’s claim was ridiculous, even by his standards. But <em> she </em>had been born magically. Why not him, too? </p><p>Alas, Athena was a virgin goddess in the first place, but still. Greek mythology was strange, and maybe Poseidon favored his mom enough for him to create him or whatever. The sea god had already admitted that she was a queen among women, and that was no light matter.</p><p>“Um, it’s just…” Percy winced. This was too much for him. “You’re right. She never said anything about him leaving because she was pregnant. Instead, she’d say that he left because I would be born someday and that he had to hide. But, Annabeth, that’s just strange. She would have still been pregnant. And if all this is true—which I’m not saying it is—why would Poseidon create me when I’m the prophecy kid? Or at least I think I am.”</p><p>“My mom didn’t even do the fun part of making a child.” Annabeth shrugged. “I just sprung out of her head. Your mom actually did, um, the fun part. You know…” She blushed and looked away. </p><p>Percy thought it would be cool if Zeus struck him and he died by the lake while his camp-mates fired explosions from triremes and Annabeth finished her popsicle. That would be better than talking about Sally Jackson’s affair with the sea god, resulting in him existing and a year away from some cursed prophecy. </p><p>“Anyway, what I’m <em> saying </em>is that sometimes gods get pregnant with a demigod baby. It’s not strange.” Percy’s face must’ve been the definition of confusion because Annabeth tried to explain herself for that one. </p><p>“Not literally most of the time. Like, my mom gifts the mortals she favors a demigod born from her thoughts. But if you actually had sex with a god and <em> you </em>don’t get impregnated but rather the god, maybe it isn’t a gift but more as in something inevitable that happened? </p><p>And if this piece of coral was part of a cradle and it was an important factor of your birth, which your mom never talks about, what are the chances that your dad created you somehow and carried you on the cradle? Besides, you look so much like him it’s scary. Like he built you out of his image.”</p><p>“...You’re saying that dad got pregnant with me? And that I’m a robot?” </p><p>“I—kind of.” He stared at her incredulously; Annabeth threw her hands up, splashing some of the now red water that had clung to her popsicle. “I don’t know! Okay? Maybe we should talk to Kayla about it. Or Andrew. Or Vera. Apollo also conceived them in some way.”</p><p>“Oh.” </p><p>He’d forgotten about that, which made him feel stupid since he lived in a world were Greek mythology existed and all that. And now that he thought of it, other kids had been born magically as well. And not just from Athena. </p><p>“But why ask only them?” Percy asked.</p><p>Annabeth snorted. “Apollo kids are easy. They <em> love </em>to talk about this type of stuff.”</p><p>“True. But I still think my mom would’ve said <em> something </em>. For demigods, this type of shit isn't so unheard of, but I don’t know—” He took a small bite out of the blue ice. It had started to melt. “Mom’s a woman.”</p><p>“Your point?”</p><p>“Uhh, they kind of, get pregnant?”</p><p>“Still doesn’t discard my theory. And there’s only one way to be sure.” She stood up and brushed dirt from the back of her shorts. She’d already finished her popsicle. “Come on, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth held out her hand.</p><p>“Nuh-uh. I am <em> not </em>asking my mom. You do it since you’re so convinced that my life is a fucking lie. I’m still back on the bit where I’m apparently a robot, anyway.”</p><p>She only rolled her eyes. “If we want to know for sure—”</p><p>“<em> We? </em> Seems to me that you’re the one interested in having The Talk about where babies come from.”</p><p>“Come on, don’t lie. You <em> so </em>want to know,” she huffed.</p><p>“Whatever.”</p><p>“We can do it later, though.” She was still holding out her hand.</p><p>“Then why do you want me to stand up?”</p><p>“Because I’m going to the Hermes cabin to start a betting pool.”</p><p>“You’re kidding.”</p><p>“Nope. And how much do I bet that I’m correct and your mom found you by the beach being carried on a wave or something, all magically and shit?” Her eyes glinted with that evil mischief of hers.</p><p>Oh, she was <em> so </em>going to lose.</p><p>“You’re on. My mom got pregnant, Wise Girl. It’s kind of a given.”</p><p>“Mmhmm. Careful with that popsicle, though,” she smirked. “Might stain your pants.”</p><p>Percy realized too late that the rest of the blueberry popsicle had melted off, leaving a trail from his hand to his arm and finally dripping on the wooden planks. He sighed and stood up with the help of Annabeth. </p><p>There was only one way to find out if her strange theory was true. He hoped it wasn’t. Really, couldn’t Percy be normal and not some magic freaky baby born out of the waves or whatever?</p><p>
  <em> No offense to Annabeth, but… </em>
</p><p>Yeah, this was great.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Part II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys, I'm sorry I took so long (actually not sorry bc it's my personal time and I don't get paid, so) but I still feel kinda bad that I said I'd post this earlier but I didn't haha. This fic dragged on for soo long, I swear I just wanted to finish, but I wanted to add more stuff and now its like 6k in words oops. But yeah, here’s the second part (finally, now I can focus on my other fic) and I had a lot of fun with it! Hope y’all like it and thanks for being patient!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Come on, man. Back me up in this,” Percy begged Beckendorf, who was practically prancing into the Hermes cabin, drachmas in hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No can do. Sorry, Jackson, but you give me magic baby vibes. I’m betting on that…and also Annabeth is smart, so.” He maneuvered around Percy easily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? You think my mom just found me, end of the story?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sums it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beckendorf whirled around just as he was about to open the door and grinned at Percy. “Why thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a bet to win.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy stood by the porch steps, mouth agape as more people walked inside the cabin with the cracked paint job and the cadeaux sign on the door. He could already hear the Stoll brothers discussing and laughing along with the other half-bloods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is ridiculous,” he muttered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still in denial, I see,” came a familiar voice from behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy sighed. “Annabeth. When will this stop?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re talking like this is something I can control. It’s in the Stoll brother’s hands, now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reluctantly, he turned around so they were face to face. Silena and Clarisse stood beside her like bodyguards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still your fault, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clarisse snorted. “Say whatever you wanna say, but you don’t stand a chance, Jackson.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silena just crossed her arms and tried to look intimidating. It wasn’t working so well, but it was the thought that counted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He raised an eyebrow. “As if my origin story is up for discussion. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>know what happened better than you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah,” Clarisse said, waving him off. “We all know what you told Annabeth here. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>it’s likely that you’re a magic baby. You just don’t want to admit it. And until you talk to mommy, the money will keep getting accumulated until you ask her and it turns out I’m rich and will be able to actually buy a new shirt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silena stared at her like she’d just said that the Earth is flat. “You don’t have shirts other than the camp ones?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clarisse wrinkled her nose. “Why would I? They’re the only ones available.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The daughter of Aphrodite muttered something about where Chiron could stick it and her general hatred towards the shirts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway,” Annabeth chimed in before the conversation took a different turn. “We’ll just have to bet and see until you ask Sally.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not asking her about this and you know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? And why is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because this is ridiculous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was nose to nose with Percy now, glaring down at him since she was still a bit taller, which was bad in itself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re not confident that she’ll say you’re right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy huffed. He was tired of trying to explain the same thing over and over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to ask her because it shouldn't be open to discussion.” His voice sounded unsure, even to him. The truth was, he kind of felt betrayed that this had suddenly become a possibility.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth smirked; she knew him too well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see,” is all she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this time, Percy was hyper-aware of their close proximity. He noticed every little freckle on her sunburnt face. Every strand of hair that escaped her ponytail. She was mesmerizing, especially when she wanted to prove a point. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced briefly at her lips and remembered a time when things were simpler—when they fought less and smiled more. When they were thrown in a dangerous situation in which Percy almost died and Annabeth had kissed him. He must’ve been staring too long—and they must’ve been standing closer than before because he could hear Silena’s muffled laughter and maybe a wolf whistle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cleared his throat and backed away from Annabeth. In return, her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She recovered quickly, though, managing a smug smile. “Anyway, we have things to settle and places to go. Thanks for the talk, Perce,” she said breezily while moving past him. She bumped him on the shoulder for good measure. The other girls quickly followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy gaped like a fish out of water—people these days did that to him more times than he’d like to admit. He almost didn’t notice Silena wink at him. Almost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See ya, Percy,” she said. And then the door closed on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>:::</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully or un-thankfully, the situation had gotten out of hand. So now Percy found himself in a counselor meeting with a very disgruntled horse-man and ADHD demigods who ranged from playing the see-who-can-fit-more-ping-pongs-into-their-mouths to throwing flaming hot cheetos from across the ping-pong table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except the cheetos were actually on fire. Probably the Hephaestus cabin’s new food demo with artificial flames.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only ones not participating were Clarisse, who sharpened her knife, Silena, who looked bored, Katie (she wasn't throwing anything, more like trying to make the fallen Cheetos into saplings), and maybe Annabeth, who sat next to Percy. She grumbled about everyone’s immaturity, but he noticed how when he wasn't looking she'd throw a cheeto into his hair. He returned the favor, naturally. Again, thank the gods it wasn't real fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After two more minutes like this, Chiron cleared his throat. He probably wanted to go for the I’m-going-to-wait-for-silence-so-we-can-start approach. Realizing he had been waiting, everyone hesitantly stopped what they were doing and cast an eye at their teacher. A ping-pong slipped from Michael Yew’s mouth and clattered to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we done?” he asked. Silena only rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are we here anyway?” Katie demanded, confusion etched on her face. She knew about the bet but hadn’t really been involved in any of it; she was the only one Percy respected at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean,” she continued. “It’s not like this is that important—no offense, Percy.” His face must’ve been comical, because Katie cringed a little and backtracked. “What I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>saying </span>
  </em>
  <span>is that this isn’t really a matter of discussion. Percy says his mother was pregnant, then his mother was pregnant.”</span>
</p><p>Lots of people opened their mouths to protest. “Prissy doesn’t know!”</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I asked him about it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seahorse genes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chiron took a deep breath as if praying to the gods for patience. He held his hand out so everyone would quiet down. “Let Katie talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The daughter of Demeter’s face was a mix of indignation and humor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Actually, none of the people in the room deserved Percy’s respect. Yeah, he trusted no one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand that the idea isn’t so bizarre if you think about it since many of us are, in fact, magic babies. But if Percy’s mom had the means to be pregnant, then why would a god bother to do the hard part himself? Especially since this is a kid of the big three we’re talking about!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone suddenly found an interest in their shoe laces. Percy’s face felt hot. He seriously wanted this to be over as soon as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katie seemed to think that she’d crossed a line as well, but he supposed that she wasn’t going to leave her thoughts to herself, even with Travis hitting her repeatedly in the shin. She gave him a death glare. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...It could be that Poseidon had no choice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I’ve been thinking,” Annabeth muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katie nodded. “Yeah, maybe that’s what happened, and for some reason he was nice enough to not let Sally do the ‘hard work’, so he wanted to let her take a break from the inevitable. I mean, she’s the one that raised the baby. And I know this happened to Miranda. I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We still don’t know shit if Percy doesn’t ask,” Michael complained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And just to be clear, the baby in question is me,” Percy said. Michael Yew looked away, not immune to Percy’s scowl. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>wasn’t cool with everyone talking about him as some hypothetical baby or whatever—as if he were a myth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, the baby is you,” Annabeth shot back in annoyance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy swiveled to face her. “I just feel so weird that you guys are talking about me like I’m some science experiment!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well we’ve been over who the baby is! It’s not that deep!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy was on the verge of standing up and leaving. “Yeah, but it’s just...argh! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why </span>
  </em>
  <span>is this even debatable?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gods, Percy. Calm </span>
  <em>
    <span>down—”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Let me finish!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Katie shrieked. Plants sprouted from her feet. Annabeth clamped her mouth shut. “Look, it’s possible all of this happened. But I just don’t think gods are that nice most of the time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>my point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw come on, Gardner,” Travis said, wiggling his eyebrows. “We all know you’re on the other side of the bet because Miranda is with us, and you want to be different.” </span>
</p><p>Katie's eyes narrowed as if silently weighing the pros and cons of smashing a pot against Travis’ face. She probably thought better of it and opted to push him away, hard. “Just because we came from the same town and have similar surnames doesn’t mean we’re ‘the same’,” she fumed. “We’re not even sisters!”</p><p>
  <span>Travis rubbed his arm. “Um...yes you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor looked genuinely scared for his brother’s life when Katie’s face reddened and had to be held back by Beckendorf, of all people. Everyone knew this was a touchy subject. “We’re half sisters, moron! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Half sisters!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re both Gardner’s, though!” Travis looked to the rest for support. “Right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katie struggled against Beckendorf, which was pretty pointless, in Percy’s opinion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now listen to me, and listen closely. I’m Gardner as in R-D-N...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Gard-ner,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>she pronounced it slowly like she was teaching a kindergartner how to spell. “Miranda’s—</span>
  <em>
    <span>Beck, </span>
  </em>
  <span>let </span>
  <em>
    <span>go—</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>“You are going to cause some real damage unsupervised,” is what Beckendorf argued, moving her farther away from Travis.</p><p>
  <span>Her nostrils flared. “Fine. I’m not going to do anything to him, promise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, he let her go. She crossed the room leisurely to where Travis was seated. As she came closer, he shifted his chair further back, bumping into his brother. Silena winced in sympathy. Clarisse looked a tad impressed, while Michael and Pollux tried not to laugh. It was good to see Pollux happy about anything these days with…what had happened during the battle and his brother. </span>
</p><p>Percy turned to Annabeth who nudged him on the shoulder. Her grey eyes danced with mirth. “Like you and Tyson all over again, huh.” </p><p>
  <span>He tried to stay mad at her, but when she looked at him like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it was kind of impossible—even with the room starting to spiral out of control. “I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katie was now centimeters away from Travis’ face. He shifted back even more, the chair tilting with him. Beckendorf and the rest watched nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either the chair slipped and ended with a possibly concussed Travis, or Katie would do something that wouldn’t be pretty and ended with a possibly concussed Travis. Or—by what he could tell from Silena’s shit eating grin—they’d kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy thought it was unlikely, but still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miranda,” she explained, deathly calm, “is Gradiner. As in D-I-N. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gar-din-er.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay. I get it now.” Travis sounded like he wanted to reconsider all his life choices at the moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” he nodded with forced enthusiasm. “You two are different. Your mortal parents liked gardening and—and—yeah,” his voice turned into a squeak when Katie grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “It’s super clear. Sheesh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She let go of his shirt but still glared at him as if her life depended on it. Whoever said Demeter’s children were non-threatening had never seen one angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is not going to end well, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Percy thought. Why were they here in the first place? </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, right.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The only person who could stop this bet and all the craziness surrounding it wasn’t even doing anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chiron,” he pleaded, facing the centaur. “Help—</span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re reading?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Their teacher was doing just that. He was tired of their bullshit, most likely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” he was too engrossed to look up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Chiron.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” This time, he glanced Percy’s way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait a minute,” said Silena, gobsmacked. “Are you reading...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Twilight?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Katie stopped assaulting Travis to stare at Chiron in shock. The only sound that could be heard was the one of someone munching on Cheetos. Actually, it was kind of gross. Percy realized it was Connor. He’d unfortunately picked up a fallen bag of the flaming-hot Cheetos. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The son of Hermes noticed Percy staring and held out the bag. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Want some? </span>
  </em>
  <span>he mouthed, fire trailing down his chin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy shook his head vehemently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silena gaped at Chiron. “Oh my gods—that </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>Twilight!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chiron’s expression was one of a deer caught in the headlights, but he quickly composed himself. “My child, you are dislexic,” he sniffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She snorted. “So? I can still recognize a cover.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clarisse whistled under her breath. It was hard for anyone to keep a straight face at this point. Chiron put the book away with what little dignity he had left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not wrong or anything,” Silena told him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Child, that was not—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First of all, don’t call me ‘child’ when you charge for the things in the camp store. If it weren’t for the Hermes cabin, some of us wouldn’t have toiletries or any necessity. Like, what the fuck? If we’re not adults, then how do you expect us to have money? The shirts aren’t even cute”</span>
</p><p>Everyone looked as astonished as Percy felt. </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, she finally snapped.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>“The volume inside this room is astronomical,” someone murmured, probably Michael Yew.</p><p>
  <span>“Also, if we’re children, then why do we have to fight in a fucking war?” Clarisse said, setting her knife down on the ping-pong table. Percy was once again surprised. He’d never expected Clarisse to speak up about something involving war, but he supposed no one liked war in the first place, even a child of Ares.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chiron shifted awkwardly in his wheelchair. “We have no choice—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we know,” Silena seethed. “But having a nice camp experience without stealing our money is the least you can do. Oh, and also watch where you go to the bathroom. I’ve had to clean more horse shit-stained shoes and play the therapist to my siblings more times than I’d ever dreamed of doing.” </span>
</p><p>Connor spit out a mouthful of Cheetos.</p><p>
  <span>Everyone stared at the little flames on the ground. He turned his laughter into a cough. “Sorry, sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What Silena had said hit home to most of the demigods; Percy shuddered, recalling the soft feel of manure under his feet and how badly his cabin had smelled afterwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silena paid them no mind, still focused on Chiron. “And when they have no more shoes because they’re all full of </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>—can they get new ones? No, because the camp store isn’t free!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The counselors murmured in agreement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter if you’re his favorite or not,” Percy whispered to Annabeth. “She’s right.” Annabeth gave him a pointed look that read: </span>
  <em>
    <span>shut up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>Both Chiron and Silena had a silent standoff. Silena’s cheeks were red from anger; Percy took back the thought of her being non-intimidating, because right now she seemed plenty scary. </p><p>
  <span>One of Chiron’s eyes twitched. It was rare to see him so shaken, but now was one of those times. “Chi—Silena, I will speak of this matter to you alone. In the meantime, I gathered all of you here for a reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beckendorf grasped Silena’s hand and gently pulled her down so she’d sit next to him. “Come on, Lena. We’ll talk about that later.”</span>
</p><p>She seemed to want to argue more, but after a moment, she nodded. Clarisse rubbed Silena’s shoulder in a calming manner. It was strange, seeing Clarisse be friendly with anyone. But to Silena and maybe Annabeth and some others—but mainly Silena, she made an exception. </p><p>
  <span>The centaur cleared his throat again. “I have gathered you here because I feel like this ‘bet’ has gotten out of hand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well duh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>“Kids nowadays do the strangest things,” he muttered. “Alas, I want an end to it and to leave Percy be.”</p><p>
  <span>“But…” Annabeth said in anticipation. She’d probably talked to Chiron beforehand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy sort of maybe hated her for always knowing things which no one told him of. Okay, he didn't hate her, he just found it annoying.</span>
</p><p><span>”</span><em><span>But,” </span></em><span> Chiron added, regarding Annabeth, then facing the rest of the counselors,</span> <span>“I admit that it has to be settled one way or another. Fortunately, Annabeth proposed an idea.”</span></p><p>Percy glanced at her incredulously. “You did?”</p><p>
  <span>She leveled his gaze with those scary eyes of hers. “I did. And I challenge you—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To what?” he scoffed. “A duel of ping-pong?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy had had the displeasure of witnessing this happen twice when counselor meetings turned violent and Chiron didn’t know how else to solve the problem except for a ping-pong match, and it wasn’t exactly fun sportsmanship. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first time had ended with Connor in an eye-patch and a very pissed off Clarisse. The second ended with a hole in the roof. Don’t ask him how, but that’s what he’d seen happen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To his amazement, she nodded all serious-like. “Exactly. I challenge you to a duel of ping-pong. If I lose, you don’t have to ask Sally anything and </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>have to inform her about my theory. If I win, you ask her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either way she put it, his mom would know—which was traumatic in itself. But then again, Annabeth wouldn’t be too thrilled to have to ask Sally if Poseidon got her pregnant or not—of all things to ask your best friend’s mom, that was one to be embarrassed of even voicing out loud. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She might not even pull through with it and never ask</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was prideful that way. Besides, if this...problem wasn’t resolved now, it would only get worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth must’ve been reading his mind, because she said, “If I have to ask her, I won’t mention the bet. And anyway, you never know,” she shrugged, “maybe I won’t even do it. We just have to finish this, once and for all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had a staring contest for what felt like a minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy lost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>”Fine. You’re on.”</span>
</p><p>Annabeth curled her lip to the beginnings of a smirk. “Hope you have a drachma, because you’ll need it afterwards.”</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll probably need it more than me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, a drachma? Or luck? Because I think you’ll rely on one of those options to beat me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see, Wise Girl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you two done?” Clarisse interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy noticed that everyone had been gawking at the two of them; most had knowing smiles plastered across their faces. He ducked his head, scratching the back of his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that that’s settled,” Chiron said. “The rest are left to vote. All in favor of an, er, duel of ping-pong, say ‘aye’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katie shrugged. “Aye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye,” Travis said, smiling crookedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This was a bad idea.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye,” said Connor in a muffled voice. He was still eating the Cheetos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest soon followed; the only one left to agree was Silena. Her arms were crossed and jaw clenched. She hadn’t gotten over her spat with Chiron, by the looks of it. All heads turned to her expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She huffed. “...Aye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chiron nodded to Annabeth. She grinned. “Alright. Come on, Seaweed Brain. Stand up so I can beat your ass.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy strode to the other side of the ping-pong table. “Sure, sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth went to the other side, handing Clarisse her knife that had been on the table and then throwing a ping-pong racket at Percy. He caught it easily, feeling the worn leather under his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could do this. Never mind that Annabeth was dangerously good at ping-pong and that, the last time he’d played was with Grover, which had been about a year ago. And never mind that she’d most likely thought that one through. It was just like her to challenge Percy in something where she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’d lose.</span>
</p><p>Shit. </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth ducked under the table as if looking for something. “Hey, where are the balls?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Travis snorted and nudged his brother. “I don’t know, but Percy will need them to ask his mom.” They both burst into snickers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katie rolled her eyes, and so did half of the room. Mostly, Chiron has decided it was worth the risk and proceeded to catch up on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Twilight, </span>
  </em>
  <span>so the comment slid by. Percy decided to just flip them off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth looked like she wanted to laugh along with them, but her poker face was too good for that. And she was also probably tired of their jokes. </span>
</p><p>Luckily for the Stoll brothers, her patience was fairly decent today. “No, I’m serious. Where are the balls?” </p><p>“Man, you still have them?” Pollux told Michael.</p><p>
  <span>The son of Apollo’s face turned bright red. “Uh...my mouth can expand very well in the right circumstances.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beckendorf barked out a laugh. “Dude. Do you have the ping-pong balls in your mouth?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He whistled appreciatively. “You totally won that contest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You owe me those new arrows, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The gas ones?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep.”<br/>
</span>
</p><p>Clarisse opened her mouth in indignation. “Oh no you don’t! Beck, what the fuck? The little shit’s going to torment my cabin, is what’s going to happen!”</p><p>
  <span>Beckendorf patted her arm in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Clarisse, but I made a promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” she snarled. “But you fix my cabin when it smells like shit because of </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would I ever do something like that?” Michael asked innocently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chiron,” Katie said, not glancing up from doing her daughter-of-Demeter thing and growing a new sapling from the ground. “Michael won’t give the balls back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm. That’s great.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if their teacher even paid them attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth looked ready to chug the balls out of Michael Yew herself, Silena was trying to convince Clarisse to drop it, and the Stoll brothers were busy sharing the last of the Cheeto puffs. Pollux sat back in his chair, smiling slightly at Michael as Beckendorf and the latter discussed the arrows. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They should be a couple, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And—now that he was watching Michael attentively, Percy realized that his cheeks were rounder than usual. they appeared stranger, too, with sphere </span>
  <em>
    <span>things</span>
  </em>
  <span> encrusted in them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gods—they’re actually in your </span>
  <em>
    <span>mouth?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Percy stammered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michael turned to him, unimpressed. “Well duh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah. You’ve gotta teach me—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enough!” Annabeth was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>having it with that weird game of theirs. She sighed and extended her hand out. “Michael, give them back.” Her tone sounded like one of a scolding mother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the frightening way she stared down at him, the ping-pong balls popped out of his mouth in no time. Annabeth didn’t even cringe at the way they were slick and slimy from the saliva, picking one up from Michael’s hand without so much as wrinkling her nose. Exposure to monster guts did that to a person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth threw the ball in the air, and after she was satisfied with how she could bounce it against her racket (the showoff), she nodded at Percy. “I’m ready. You?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tapped his racket against his hip in a nervous motion. “Sure thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be the referee,” Silena volunteered. “I don’t think Chiron…” she glanced back distastefully at the centaur. His back was completely turned to them now. Clearly, Twilight was too enrapturing. “Anyway, we’ll all watch. But I’ll keep track of the points.” She grinned at Annabeth. “You’ve got this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on! Is no one on my side?” Percy felt kind of pathetic; he didn’t think </span>
  <em>
    <span>Katie </span>
  </em>
  <span>was even on his side at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope!” Beckendorf said, fist bumping Annabeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Face it: you’re a magic baby. Be proud, Percy! Your daddy’s a seahorse!” Michael Yew said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy raised an eyebrow. “My dad’s a what—?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hope</span>
  </em>
  <span> he loses. Complete disrespect to all of us magic babies,” Pollux grumbled. “I don’t know how the gods do it, but it happens and now he’s all sensitive about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, right?” Michael said. “As if we’re lesser beings.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, his girlfriend’s a magic baby. If he’s magic-baby phobic, I don’t know how it’ll work out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Annabeth isn’t my—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Guys,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Annabeth said at the same time as Percy’s protesting. They all ignored them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m betting on it happening in two months, and you guys are </span>
  <em>
    <span>losing!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Travis called out, noisily munching on his Cheetos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Conner punched him in the shoulder. “Shut up! They can’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I'm betting on next summer,” Silena told Clarisse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katie smiled knowingly at Percy and Annabeth. “Nah, it’ll happen sooner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Were they...betting on when he and Annabeth would get together? This discussion had taken an entirely different twist, and it wasn’t much better than the magic-baby one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He met Annabeth’s wide eyes; she shook her head, cheeks on fire.</span>
</p><p><span>She may have once kissed him, but they were adamant on discussing </span><em><span>that</span></em><span>. Besides, it was likely she’d done what she did because he was in danger and afterwards he’d blown up. She didn’t </span><em><span>like</span></em><span> him that</span> <span>way, for gods’ sake.</span></p><p>
  <span>Percy rolled his eyes at all of them and hoped that he didn’t look too flustered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just get it over with!” Clarisse yelled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Annabeth sighed. She lifted her chin. Her face turned as hard as stone. It was creepy how her expression could change all of a sudden. “Ready to lose?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In your dreams.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>::</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The water from the small fountain in cabin three made a soothing sound, but it did nothing to calm Percy’s nerves—</span>
  <em>
    <span>especially </span>
  </em>
  <span>with Annabeth on the other side of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, maybe he’d over estimated himself. And maybe he was paying for it by having to make a damned iris message to discover the truth about his birth. And all because Annabeth had been better at ping-pong than he’d remembered. Percy should’ve steered clear and surrendered right then and there; flashbacks of the game made him shudder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tossing the drachma from hand to hand, he wished to be anywhere else but </span>
  <em>
    <span>here. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Percy,” Annabeth said expectantly. “Don’t you want to know? I got you an extra drachma just in case.” It was extremely annoying how she could look that pretty, sitting casually on his bed, and still rub her victory in his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha-ha. Very funny. Just...give me a second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Admittedly, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>curious—and at the same time he needed to hear his mom cackle at how silly it all sounded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to have been pregnant. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Why wouldn’t she have said anything about this matter if she hadn’t given birth to Percy in the first place? No, Annabeth and all the others were wrong. What they wanted was something to laugh about after all they’d been through. He didn’t blame them entirely about this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy felt himself smiling. Unfortunately for them, their little game would end soon. Turning back to Annabeth, he raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope you’re ready to be disappointed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced out the window where plenty of the campers were gathered. He could see how they were shoving each other aggressively, trying to get a better look inside. Percy caught a glimpse of Beckendorf, and then heard an indignant yell. It belonged to Clarisse, most likely. They hadn’t been let inside, and for good reason. Only Annabeth could—with the supervision of the others from the window, of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of you are disappointed,” Percy said, giving the demigods outside clear signs with his hands so that his point came across. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth snorted. “Yeah, okay. Whenever you’re ready to prove us wrong, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tossed the drachma into the spring. “O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Sally Jackson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mist slowly morphed into the image of Percy’s apartment. His mom sat at the dining table, and from what he could tell, she was busy typing on her laptop. Her face scrunched up in concentration after a pause in her typing. Sally’s mouth formed incoherent words and she tapped a finger impatiently to her cheek like she always did whenever she had an idea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was it,” she whispered. “Oh, right!” His mom continued with her typing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy chuckled in endearment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Ma,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally jumped. “Percy! Oh my gods, you scared me.” She had her hand placed over her chest, but overall, she seemed to be fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sorry, sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s alright, sweetheart,” she smiled at the sight of him. “I’m always glad to see you. How's camp?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s...fine. Yep. Everything’s great. Um, were you writing that novel you told me about? Because if you are, there is no need for me to be calling—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! No, it’s alright! You called for a reason, and it’s not like I have to write non-stop. You know how it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From across the room, he could hear muffled giggling. Right, this would be hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Okay.” Percy ran a hand through his hair. “I just wanted to ask you about the coral.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally eyed him questionably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” he continued, “the glowy thing you gave me? You wrote in the letter that it was an important part of my birth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally nodded her head in understanding. “Ah, yes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>coral.” Even through the iris message, he could see her eyes twinkling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was too perceptive for her own good, so his mom probably understood where this was going. Which wasn’t too promising and just made him more nervous, because—</span>
  <em>
    <span>why is she looking at me that way?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve wanted to give it to you for some time,” she said, throwing her arm casually over the back of the chair. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>But, </span>
  </em>
  <span>I admit that I never knew how; I found that coral about—gods, has it been three weeks? Anyway, I sent it to you so we could talk about it more. You and me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stared at him longingly, and Percy had the urge to leave camp and be with his mom in New York, but he had to train, like everyone else always insisted. Besides, he not so secretly preferred to be in a summer camp over staying in NYC. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally shrugged. “I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>kind of </span>
  </em>
  <span>disappointed that you didn’t call me earlier on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy dropped his head bashfully. “About that…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what do you want to know?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He met her eyes. Again, they made him uneasy by how much they appeared to </span>
  <em>
    <span>see </span>
  </em>
  <span>through him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stammered, “I just—and Annabeth, she suggested—I mean, I want to clear this off…” He could feel Annabeth’s gaze burning into him, as well. It didn’t make it any better to have her here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it, sweetie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn it, why can’t I just say it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>“Where do babies come from?” he finally blurted out. Percy felt himself wincing.</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, that was </span>
  </em>
  <span>not </span>
  <em>
    <span>what I wanted to ask.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His mom pressed a hand to her mouth so her smile didn’t spread further. Percy sneaked a peek at Ananbeth; her head was buried in his pillow, shoulders shaking and face flushed. It was all she could do to not give herself away. They’d both agreed that having Sally think it was only Percy in the cabin would be the best approach to this—he hoped his mom didn’t find put about Annabeth because he asked idiotic questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally took a deep breath. “Oh, Percy. Did I not go over this with you?” His face must’ve been the epitome of horror, because this time his mom laughed. “If you really don’t know, a baby is created from the sexual intercourse of—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, no! That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>what I meant, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes </span>
  </em>
  <span>I do know where they come from! I just meant...agh!” He sighed. It was now or never. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Were you pregnant with me?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally’s face didn’t change much, if anything, it brightened at his question. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, no.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you ask?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy could feel his face heating up; he stopped midway in fiddling with his shirt. Hopefully it wasn’t too evident how embarrassing this was for him, but he wasn’t exactly subtle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because of the glowy-coral-thing you sent me. And then Ananbeth asked some questions about where I was born and all that, but I couldn’t answer them. You never said anything about that, though it could always be because you don’t find that important, right? Make fun of me or whatever for suggesting this,” he quickly added. “I just need to know where I was born since you...never told me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instantly, Sally’s face softened. “Oh, sweetie. I should’ve explained better in the letter instead of making you nervous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>give birth to me?” Percy asked hopefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mom paused and tilted her head, like she was considering what to say next. “Not exactly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh? What do you mean ‘not exactly’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s a bit...complicated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, spit it out, Mom. I’m just now being confirmed about something that I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>certain </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t happen. It’s fine. Not like I’m betrayed or anything.” He heard Annabeth wheeze into the pillow. “Shut up,” he hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, Perce. I’m so—who’re you talking to?” She stood up a bit from her chair so she could scan the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy cursed under his breath. He ran a hand through his hair, agitated. “It’s, um…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Ms. Jackson,” Annabeth said, popping out into view. For someone who had been laughing her head off, she looked fairly composed. Only her eyes betrayed her, twinkling with mischief.</span>
</p><p>His mother’s grin widened when she saw her stand beside Percy. “Annabeth! Hello, dear. I’m glad to see you, too. And please, you already know that Sally is fine.”</p><p>
  <span>“It’s great to see you, as well, Miss Ja—I mean Sally. I was just keeping your son here company. He needs supervision once in a while, after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can both agree to that.” The two laughed together, ignoring Percy’s glare. Both of them liked bonding over situations where his mortification was involved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Sally said to Annabeth. “I take it you guided Percy to the conclusion about an alternative way he was conceived?”</span>
</p><p>Annabeth tucked a curl behind her ear. She didn’t look too uncomfortable, but Percy knew better. “You could say that. I mean I thought about it, and if it’s true that he wasn’t born in a hospital...” her voice trailed off. “Well, from what he’s told me, it’s likely that he’s a magic baby.”</p><p>
  <span>She fixed her eyes on Percy, and he sent her the silent message of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ha, you had to explain in the end because you didn’t calm down.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth responded by sticking out her tongue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To all this, Sally nodded along. Her eyebrows were raised, as if she were impressed. But this was Annabeth, he didn’t see why it’s that impressive that she figured it out. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Figured it out.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His little victory over Ananbeth having to explain was short lived by the cruel truth. Everything—from how Sally had reacted, to how she’d tried to explain before that she hadn’t exactly been pregnant—meant that Percy had been wrong. Somehow, he was a magic baby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom,” his tone softened a bit. “Is—is what Annabeth said true? How was I even born?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed. “I’ve always wanted to tell you but never knew how. I think even by your standards, what happened was...strange.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I’m a magic baby, then of course it was strange.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She furrowed her brow. “That’s the thing, though. Originally, you weren’t a magic baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Annabeth looked confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—huh?” he stuttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally shook her head. “And originally, you weren’t going to be born on August eighteenth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy held his hands out. “Wait. Hold up. Time out...you were pregnant with me, and I wasn’t due sometime in August, at least?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From his peripheral vision, Annabeth had a finger to her lips. No doubt her mind was going a million miles an hour, as per usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s that—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s it possible, you ask? Your father and I had a summer affair. Ever wonder why you’re an August baby if I got pregnant during </span>
  <em>
    <span>late</span>
  </em>
  <span> August?”</span>
</p><p>Annabeth gasped. “Oh my gods,” she whispered to no one in particular. “How didn’t I see that before?”</p><p>
  <span>“If you were pregnant, I wouldn’t have been born in August,” Percy summed up, beginning to infer where his mom was going. “I’d be born during…” he counted the months with his fingers. “April. Around April.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Correct. But like I told you, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>get pregnant. Only not for long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mom gave him a pointed look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Patience, Percy.” Then, she pursed her lips in thought. “When I got pregnant, your father was still with me in Montauk. I broke the news to him, and as you’d expect, he wasn’t ecstatic. At all. It was the most scared I’d ever seen him. Obviously, because of the, um, prophecy.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She lowered her head for a second, knowing full well what she was implying. The Great Prophecy was closer than ever before, and he knew that meant nothing but trouble. Annabeth visibly tensed. Sally blinked rapidly. For Percy’s sake, she was trying hard not to cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Dad finds out. Then what?” he said quickly, breaking the silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally’s eyes grew distant like she was in the memory of that day. “He offered me many things so we could be protected from his brothers. You know, immortality, living underwater.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy nodded grimly. He recalled Poseidon admitting how he had offered Sally a home underwater, only for her to refuse. Annabeth stayed silent, no doubt because she was surprised to hear about this for the first time. He'd have to explain later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I turned them all down. Didn’t want some god to control my life, no matter how good his intentions were. But he did offer me one thing that I reluctantly agreed to do.”</span>
</p><p>“Poseidon somehow kept me, didn’t he? So you wouldn’t be pregnant, that is.” </p><p>
  <span>“Something like that. He said you were already in the hands of The Fates. Your birth was inevitable. But he could watch over the fetus that would someday be you. He promised me that he could give you powers that wouldn’t be possible if I’d kept you in my womb, so you could one day be stronger, more likely to survive,” her voice shook; she took a shaky breath. “I agreed.</span>
</p><p><span>Maybe because I felt bad for refusing his offers. Maybe because deep down, I knew it was for the better and that in the long run, I wouldn’t have had to face any pregnancy related risks, and I wouldn’t have to worry about </span><em><span>your </span></em><span>possible</span> <span>health risks. It would be a win-win, I supposed. So he just...placed a hand on my belly and then…” her hands waved wildly in the air, mimicking some sort of magic trick. “Poof. I don’t know how, but I could </span><em><span>feel </span></em><span>that you were no longer inside me.” </span></p><p>
  <span>Percy was speechless. His powers—too many even for a child of the big three—existed because Poseidon had voluntarily placed them there? What Sally had explained wasn't necessarily bad, but he felt...cheated, in a way. He realized Annabeth had taken his hand. She gave it a squeeze and sent him a small smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Poseidon did something similar to say, In-Vitro, right?” She asked his mom gently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally chuckled drily. “Yes, something like that. But I immediately regretted it. Poseidon knew that would happen, though. He calmed my nerves, swearing on the River Styx that he’d keep Percy safe and that he’d be healthy and back by my side soon. He did mention that it would take four months longer, since in August the sea is more powerful. But he promised Percy would be sent safely to me, no matter where I was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s convenient,” he muttered, finally able to form words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could faintly hear the noise from outside. Still, there were likely less people than before. Less people to have to admit defeat to.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My life is a lie. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Really, this should’ve been Percy’s thought earlier on, but it was now truly coming to him how much of who he </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> was because a god had been supervising his growth as a fetus. Why does he look so much like his father, anyway? Was that altered, too? If he’d been kept in his mother’s womb, how much of his appearance would change? Would he be the same as right now, regardless of this? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How Poseidon had done what he did, Percy did not want to know, nor did he intend to ask. He shuddered at the idea of it. All these thoughts kept circling round in his head. Only the warmth of Annabeth’s hand kept Percy’s turmoil at bay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried to bring himself back to the present; his mother had proceeded to talk about how she’d found him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—And I had come home from work. I don’t know, I felt it in my bones that something big would happen that day. Something life changing. But I didn't comprehend what, so I went about my usual business. You know, cooking something to eat, taking a shower. Only that...when I opened the shower curtain…” her smile came back even bigger and brighter than before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked at Percy tenderly, the way only a mother could ever achieve. All his doubts and anguish faded like clouds making way for the sun. Above anything else, he was Sally Jackson’s son and always would be—no matter what.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had the biggest surprise of my life.” She wouldn’t take his eyes off him, and Percy found that he couldn’t either. He blinked back tears, but it was kind of a lost cause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were there, in the bathtub. Poseidon probably left some water in it, because you were laid down in this cradle made of coral, floating. You were so small and beautiful and </span>
  <em>
    <span>my baby. </span>
  </em>
  <span>You didn’t look a day old. I don’t know how your father did it, but I knew that somehow, that day I found you—August eighteenth—was the day you were born.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth’s hand left Percy’s so she could rub his back. He blinked back the last of his tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment, he said, “Wait. Wouldn’t I have been, like, super ugly and gross? Since newborns are kinda—” Annabeth’s nice mannerisms were forgotten when she hit him on the shoulder. “Ow! What was that for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gotta ruin every nice moment, huh, Seaweed Brain?” she said, shaking her head. There was no fire behind it, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally stared at him indignantly. “Newborns are cute! And you were the cutest little thing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder what happened,” Annabeth murmured. This time it was Percy who hit her on the shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have you know, I’m still </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Whatever.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His mother sighed in exasperation. “And that is basically what happened. A bit strange, don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laughed, “Oh, Percy. I love you, but you lost the bet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She knew about this?” he demanded Annabeth, eyes wide with betrayal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head, looking almost as stunned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calm down, sweetie,” Sally chuckled. “I just assumed. I can tell that some people are trying to catch a glimpse of you and Annabeth.” Percy sighed. Of course she’d known all along. “Is that Beckendorf I see over there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell him I said hi!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure will, Mom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, I hope you learned something about yourself today,” she told him, changing the subject.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That my life is a lie?” he said weakly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sally looked at him reproachfully. “Nothing about you has changed. You just know a little more about yourself. There is no lie to it if I always planned to tell you—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. That way I wouldn’t be having an identity crisis. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And </span>
  </em>
  <span>I wouldn’t have lost a bet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I didn’t know if you’d understand me entirely. Besides, I wanted you to feel more...normal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How well that turned out,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p><span>She sighed in exasperation. “Percy, I love you just the way you are. Imagine you being normal. That just wouldn’t be the son I know. I’m just glad to have you safe.” </span><em><span>For now, </span></em><span>he thought.</span> <span>“...And that I found that coral.”</span></p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the image began to fade. Their time was up. Noticing this, Annabeth said, “Well thank you so much, Sally. It’s been great talking to you. We’re just happy that you cleared it up for us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank </span>
  <em>
    <span>you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Annabeth dear. I don’t know where we’d be without you.” They grinned at each other. Percy rolled his eyes. “Hope you earned good money on that bet,” his mom said, winking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallowed the urge to groan, especially at the fact that his </span>
  <em>
    <span>mother</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of all people, agreed with the cursed bet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, good.” Then she fixed her gaze on him. “See you soon, sweetheart. To the start of another school year. And—oh my gods, you’ll be a freshman! My baby, all grown up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh—stop, Ma! You’re embarrassing me!”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>::</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Jackson!” Clarisse called out from across the strawberry fields. “How does it feel to be Moses?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great!” Percy shouted back, making a grab for the big strawberry that was further into the bushes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He plopped it into his basket. Annabeth examined the strawberry. When she found that there were no worms in it, she let it be. Her golden hair rustled in the wind; she grinned at him, cheeks rosy pink from the bright sun, even with her sun hat on. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Gods, she’s gorgeous.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy made an effort to focus on Clarisse. “How’s that new shirt?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great! All thanks to you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I heard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you buy it from the camp store?” Annabeth teased, joining in to the conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though she was a few yards away, Percy noticed how the daughter of Ares made a face. “‘Course not. Silena didn’t let me. She made a deal with one of her siblings, gave me this shirt.” She pointed to the camo shirt she was wearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s cool!” Percy cried. “Now, are you going to let us pick strawberries in peace?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ll even let you make out! It’s even more perfect now that you two are magic babies!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave her the finger, much to Annabeth’s amusement. “Magic babies and proud! Right, Wise Girl?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth only laughed and shoved him slightly, like she always did. “Sure thing, Seaweed Brain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad that’s settled, Pissy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you suddenly change from Prissy to Pissy? Do I look like I piss myself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Now make out, I don’t care,” Clarisse waved him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could argue back that they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>going to make out, she ran off. To the Pegasus class held by Silena, maybe. Annabeth wouldn’t meet his eyes, having found a new fascination on picking more of the strawberries, things once again awkward for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But hey, what was summer without things going awkward or bad or disastrous around your best friend? And what was summer without a taste of sweet strawberries, freshly picked with the salty breeze in the air carried all the way from the ocean? And what was summer without the deep blue sky, the countless stars, and the smell of smoke and marshmallows? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the quests and the horrors and the uncertainties, things had settled down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For now, it was still summer; Camp Half-Blood was the way it always should’ve been.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, and Percy’s life was strange.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s alright, though. He’ll embrace that strangeness from now on, no matter what.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wrote some of the things here from ideas i’d had for a while or that i’ve seen on Tumblr that tbh I've forgotten from where i’ve seen them, so if y’all know that someone else has said something similar to what i’ve written here, lmk to credit them :) comments and kudos are appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>